


Family Secrets

by tojanewayandbeyond



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Post-Episode: s07e25 Endgame (Star Trek: Voyager), Section 31 (Star Trek)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28974834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tojanewayandbeyond/pseuds/tojanewayandbeyond
Summary: Kathryn Janeway grew up knowing that secrets were a part of the job. That's why her father didn't speak about work often. But he wasn't the only one who kept secrets.
Relationships: Gretchen Janeway & Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Star Trek. This is just a story I came up with and wanted to share. I would love any feedback. The tags will be updated with each chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

Kathryn woke with a jolt. She looked around the darkened room, her heart racing, taking stock of the temporary quarters Star Fleet assigned to her. 

They were about the size of her quarters on Voyager and had a similar layout. She had a living area with a brand new comm-station, a proper bathroom with a tub large enough for a game of water polo, and a bedroom with spectacular floor to ceiling windows that provided a breathtaking view of the Bay. Star Fleet even provided a replicator that hated her.

Everything was similar enough to be recognizable but different enough to be unsettling. 

Voyager had landed on Earth just yesterday afternoon, and the Voyager’s were quick to get their feet on Earth soil. Kathryn had been happy to inform her crew that all non-original Voyager’s would be treated the same as the original crew and that no charges would be brought against them. She wasn’t as happy to tell them that they all still had to go through the long and arduous debriefing sessions that were required after every deep-space mission. 

Kathryn took a couple of deep breaths to try and normalize her heart rate before sitting up. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, waking even further, knowing that it would be pointless even to try and go back to sleep now.

It took a few more moments for her brain to register the beeping coming from the living area. 

“Computer, what time is it?”

“The time is 04:23 PST.”

_It’s like I never left the ship. I still can’t get a full night’s sleep._

“Computer, who is at the door?”

“The badge is registered to a visitor named Gretchen Janeway.”

_MOM!_

Kathryn lept out of bed in a flurry, falling to the floor in a tangle of blankets in her haste. She quickly untangled herself and yelled for the computer to open the doors. 

She was just getting to her feet when she heard her mother’s voice call for her from the living area.

“Katie?”

“Mom!” Kathryn answered as she flung herself to hug her mother for the first time in seven years. 

The two women sank to the floor in their embrace, quiet sobs coming from both of them. 

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Gretchen pulled back enough to look at her daughter’s face.

“I thought I would never see you again, Katie-bird, I thought you were dead,” Gretchen whispered with tears running down her face. She pulled Kathryn back into a tight hug, making sure this was real. 

“I’m so sorry mom, I’ve missed you so much, I-”

“Shh, none of this is your fault, Katie, none of it. I’ve missed you so much, and I can’t imagine what you have felt or been through these past seven years.” 

Kathryn pulled back and really looked at her mom for the first time since she left for her mission to the Badlands all those years ago. Her mother had aged some. Her hair was a little grayer, and her eyes were starting to show crow’s feet. But she was still her mom. She still looked like she could run a marathon, her eyes were as sharp as a bat’leth, and her hugs were as warm and inviting as ever. She could see Gretchen’s eyes roaming across her face, taking in the changes to her own appearance.

“Not that I’m not ecstatic to see you, mom, but how did you get a visitor’s badge and into the building at 4:30 in the morning?” Kathryn questioned while still holding onto her mother’s arms. 

Gretchen chuckled softly, “Sometimes it’s nice having friends in high places. I made a few calls when I learned you were back in the Alpha Quadrant. I’ve had this badge ready for the last couple of weeks, waiting to hear when you would be on Earth. I got the news yesterday and came as soon as I could. I almost brought your niece with me but decided that was a meeting best to have later.” Another silence descended upon them as Kathryn continued to gaze at her mother. 

Gretchen went to stand, and her voice broke the quiet that had settled around them, “Why don’t you get a shower, and I’ll get us some coffee. I assume to still like it as black as Saggitarius A?”

Kathryn chuckled as she was helped up off the floor, “Of course! I’ll just be a few minutes, and then we will catch up properly.” 

She had just reached her bedroom’s door when her mother quickly called to her, “Katie-”

Kathryn looked back, waiting.

“I love you.”

Kathryn’s eyes started to pool up again, “I love you too, Mom.”

Gretchen smiled and quickly turned to walk to the replicator, “Hurry up now, Katie-bird or your coffee will get cold.” 

Kathryn laughed at that and ran into the bedroom, excited with how the morning was progressing. 

* * *

Gretchen had just grabbed two cups of coffee and a plate of toast when she heard a thud followed by a soft ‘Fuck’ come from Kathryn’s room. She smiled to herself, elated to have her daughter back. 

Her daughter was back, but there was definitely a change to her. Not surprising after surviving for seven years in an unknown region of space. Her Katie-bird had grown older and had cut her hair! There was a new steel to the set of her jaw. But in many ways, she was the little girl she would read to sleep every night. Her eyes still held the same warmth and curiosity they had when she came home swaddled from the hospital. Her hug still conveyed love and support. 

Gretchen sighed as she looked around the spartan Star Fleet quarters. It spoke little of who Kathryn is or the things she had accomplished in her life. If she timed it right, she might be able to talk Owen into letting Katie stay home during her debriefings. With Katie’s blessing, of course. Gretchen had a feeling Katie would need all the love and support she could get in the upcoming weeks. 

Another thud followed by a harsh sounding ‘Stupid blanket’ came just before Kathryn emerged showered and dressed for the day.

Gretchen smiled as she handed Kathryn her cup. She watched as her daughter took her first couple of sips. 

“When do your debriefings start?”

Kathryn set her cup down and grabbed a slice of toast, “They start tomorrow. Star Fleet is giving everyone a day to breathe before sending us to the bloodhounds.”

“Do you have anything planned for today?”

Gretchen thought she saw a shadow quickly cross her daughter’s face, but it was quickly replaced with a beaming smile. 

“Nope! I am as free as a bird all day!” 

Gretchen smiled and leaned back, “Would you be interested in getting some real coffee and a real meal?” 

Kathryn hopped up, “You had me at coffee, let me put some shoes on, and let’s go!”

Gretchen laughed as she got up to follow her daughter. She grabbed their discarded dishes to recycle them when she noticed something out of place with the comm-station. It had an auxiliary panel. She left the dishes where they were and headed over to inspect the oddity. Her blood ran cold when she got close enough to recognize it for what it was. They were being recorded. 

Gretchen stepped back when she heard her daughter come out of her bedroom.

“I’m ready, let’s go! I have to know the beautifully aromatic experience a real cup of coffee is!”

Gretchen smiled and joined Kathryn at the door, “All right, but you asked for it, so I don’t want to see you passing out in awe.”

Kathryn laughed as she linked arms with her mother, “You know if that happens, just put an IV in me, I’ll be good as new!”

Kathryn led her mother through the door, but not before Gretchen looked back a final time at the familiar, cleverly concealed PADD with dread. 

_Why is Section 31 recording my daughter?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm introducing some new characters in this chapter and delving a little more into Gretchen's history.

Kathryn savored cool San Francisco mornings. A flood of memories washed over her as she walked outside in the chilly air with her mother. Kathryn thought about the days when her father brought her to work with him at HQ. She remembered all the trouble she got into with her sister when their mother was busy with events. They all felt a life-time ago, and if Kathryn was honest, some felt like only dreams. She looked over to her mom, amazed that she was standing by this woman once again.

Gretchen seemed to be in a world of her own. She was looking around as if taking in the sights for the first time. The bags under her eyes more prominent under the bright streetlamp. Kathryn wondered if she had even slept since hearing the news that Voyager was back on Earth. She doubts it. 

Gretchen and Kathryn were more alike than many people realized. Most people thought Kathryn was more like her dad: a typical Star Fleet workaholic with a need for adventure. This assumption was true to a degree, but her mom better fit the bill, not her dad. Her dad was a homebody at heart. He loved spending time at home and would find any and every excuse to bow out of a deep-space mission or diplomatic event to do so. 

What most people didn’t know was that Edward Janeway followed Gretchen to the Academy. They graduated together before briefly going their separate ways. Edward went on a six-month good-will run as a newly commissioned Ensign, and Gretchen went on a two-year survey of the Beta-Quadrant, which resulted in a promotion to Lieutenant J.G. 

When they ran into each other again four years after leaving the Academy, both had established themselves in their careers. At this point, Edward was a Lieutenant, and Gretchen had just earned her Lieutenant Commander pips. 

They went on their first date that night. 

Kathryn could see the same unyielding brand of stubbornness in her mom that only the brave have said was in her. They shared the same loyalty to family and friends. They both believed in hard, honest work and that you should always help when you can. 

These traits that Kathryn learned from her mother saved her butt more than once in the Delta-Quadrant. 

The two women walked along a once well-known path, through familiar and unfamiliar buildings alike, before coming upon the much loved Night Owl.

It wasn’t long before they were seated inside with their drinks. 

“So, did you get any sleep last night?” Kathryn teased.

“Nope. When I learned you were back, I couldn’t wait to see you. I dropped Rory back off with Phoebe and found transport to HQ.”

“What is my niece like?”

“She’s a handful. She has just entered her terrible two’s and will get into anything,” then Gretchen smirked, “A lot like you and Phoebe come to think about it.”

“Ha, Ha.” Kathryn retorted with a smile.

Kathryn then took a moment to look around. 

“If walls could talk,” Gretchen whispered as she followed Kathryn’s line of sight.

She turned her eyes back to Kathryn. It was surreal having her daughter back, and Gretchen was floating on Cloud Nine. 

The years were hard, first with the hope that she would turn up somewhere, then with the devastation of learning about her death, then with the elated confusion that she was alive, back to devastation that she would be dead by the time Kathryn got home… if Kathryn got home.

Her counselor’s couch now has a worn spot from Gretchen’s many hours sorting through her feelings. 

“If walls could talk,” Kathryn replied after a pause with a smile, “they would gush about all the days Gretchen Janeway came in here for her daily coffee injection.”

“You’re one to talk! Miss ‘Coffee is my blood’”

Kathryn snickered, “Well, it’s not like I had a chance with you as my mom.”

“No, I suppose you didn’t.” 

A comfortable silence fell over them as they finished the remainder of their drinks. 

They decided to get their next drinks to-go so that Kathryn could explore some of the changes made during her absence.

They walked for the next couple of hours, Gretchen pointing out new places of interest. They stopped when they reached a large granite obelisk surrounded by a garden. The monument had hundreds of names inscribed along the base. 

Kathryn walked up to it and found the name her mother brought her to see.

Mya Nichelle Blaine, Adm.

2298-2375

She reached up and ran her finger over the name: her godmother, Aunt Mya.

“She was here when the Breen attacked-” Gretchen’s eyes teared up, “I was told afterward that it was quick, that she wouldn’t have suffered. We had a memorial by the Bay and scattered ash from this site of what was left.”

“I wish I could have been here for you.”

“Oh... no… Don’t get me wrong, I wanted you home more than anything… but I’m not sorry you missed that… So many lives were turned upside down… so many died…” Gretchen sighed and reached over to grabbed her daughter’s hand, “you probably would have been one of them.”

“How has Aunt Elaine been since the attack?”

“She’s doing better. She stayed with me for a while before moving closer to Phoebe to be near our Rory. That’s helped.” Gretchen looked down, “It’s never easy to lose a spouse.” She then took Kathryn’s hand and led her to a nearby sculpture.

Kathryn was intrigued. Everything she had seen so far had been typical Star Fleet: ordered and groomed. This was… wonderful! The sculpture was a beautiful blend of shapes to form what looked like an inverted waterfall. This figure allowed the morning sun’s rays to highlight the ground with the names of all the lives taken. She was at a loss for words.

“It took Phoebe and Elaine the better part of a year to make this,” Gretchen said softly. “It represents their grief and journey forward.”

They took a last look at the sculpture and left the memorial.

* * *

It was half-past noon, and Gretchen and Kathryn had just finished their lunch at the new Thai restaurant on the Academy campus. 

Kathryn burped after clearing her plate. She blushed with embarrassment then laughed, “I haven’t eaten that well in years! All we had was replicator food or Neelix’s cooking.”

“I’m glad to have helped!” 

Gretchen thumbed the PADD authorizing the final transaction and stood to leave.

They were just heading to the exit when they both heard a voice call, “Captain! Captain Janeway!”

They turned to see a young Ensign run toward them, clutching a PADD in both hands. 

“Yes, Ensign?”

“I’ve been instructed to give this to you by Admiral Nechayev.” The Ensign answered while holding the item in question out for Kathryn. 

“Did she say why?”

“Those were my instructions.”

“Thank you, Ensign.”

Then Ensign promptly left, leaving a bewildered Kathryn and Gretchen.

“Well, what does the PADD say, Katie? Are you being called in early?”

Kathryn activated it and skimmed over the message.

“I’ve been ordered to report to her office at 06:00 tomorrow for a meeting before my debriefing sessions start.”

“Then we should get you tucked in early, so you show up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”

Kathryn laughed at that, “Early will be 01:00. I just got back, and I intend to stretch this day to it’s fullest.”

“In that case, we are going to need coffee cause you HAVE to see what they have done to Union Square.”

* * *

It was 23:49 when Kathryn got back to her quarters. The day had been delightful. Spending time with her mom and touring the greater San Francisco area had been just what she needed. 

She walked to her window and looked out at the lighted city below her. She thought about her crew, wondering what they had done before debriefings. She knew that Tuvok had gone to Vulcan on medical leave. B’Elanna and Tom were no doubt getting much-deserved sleep while Owen and Izzy gushed over their new grandchild. The Doctor was presumably regaling Reginald Barclay with stories of his heroism and benevolence. Harry was probably being stuffed with food by his parents. 

She didn’t want to think about Chakotay or Seven at the moment.

She went to sit on the couch when she remembered the Ensign from earlier in the day. 

She took out the PADD and looked it over before activating it. The message from earlier appeared on the screen. 

  
  


Captain Janeway, Kathryn E.

First, I must offer my congratulations on your historical return. What you and your crew accomplished is extraordinary. From what I have read in your reports and seen for myself so far, you have done right by your crew as they have done right by you.

Your debriefings are on the schedule to begin tomorrow at 08:00. There are a few items I need to clarify with you before you go in. You are to report to my office tomorrow at 06:00.

I hope you have a pleasant day.

Admiral Nechayev, Alynna 

  
  


She set the PADD down and wondered what items Nechayev needed clarification on that couldn’t wait for the debriefings. This request was unusual, but then her entire trip home had been weird. 

Kathryn decided to table her concern and go to bed.

* * *

The auxiliary panel connected to the comm-station blinked to life. It sent back readings that Kathryn Janeway was in her room and asleep. 

It then deactivated itself. 


End file.
